


Our Future Written in the Stars

by painted_lady12



Series: Our Hearts Beat as One [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Gay in Space, Hermaphrodite Galra, Interplanetary Politics, Interplanetary Travel, M/M, Oral Sex, Reunion Sex, Reunions, Rough Sex, Smut, Supportive Lance (Voltron), Supportive Shiro (Voltron), This series grew angst RIP, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, cute dates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 17:35:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14938811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/painted_lady12/pseuds/painted_lady12
Summary: Keith and Lance haven't seen each other in weeks, Lance busy with Voltron and Keith busy with the Blades.  When they finally meet up, though, they make sure to make up for lost time.AKA Did anyone order some fluff and smut with a side of angst?





	Our Future Written in the Stars

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all
> 
> Long time no see! It's been three months since the first work was created and thrown out into the world, and I finally came up with a solid idea for a follow-up. I hope you all enjoy!
> 
> The content of this one is slightly more somber and angsty. There is still just as much smut and fluff and cute Klance moments, but this one deals a little more in depth with Keith figuring out what being a Galra hybrid means.
> 
> I'm 110% sure that this won't be the last time I post in this vein. I definitely will be having a field day after the new episodes come out!!! Don't forget to swing by my account to see if I've posted anything new and exciting
> 
> As usual, I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender

Lance wasn’t known for his… self control.  He did everything and anything he wanted to do as he wanted to do it.

  


So when Keith let him know that he was helping with peace talks at a nearby solar system, Lance only got the “I guess it’s alright…” from Allura before he was already halfway to his lion.

  


The paladins themselves were in the middle of a few parades and celebrations, nothing which required Lance’s presence.  Shiro gave him a stern look as he left, but Lance didn’t give two shits about Shiro’s dad face when his boyfriend sent him a text saying, “Get here soon or I’m starting without you.”

  


Lance went double time at that point.

  


When he arrived at the planet that the Blade was being hosted at, he had to pass through a whole slew of security measures and checks before he got through to the guest cottages that Keith was supposedly staying in.

  


His necklace was beating a bit faster than normal.  His imagination started running wild of all the things that Keith could be doing that would make his heart race.

  


When he arrived to Keith’s room, he saw that the door was ajar.  Surprised, Lance snuck up to the edge of the sliding door, peeking his head in to see if Keith was in there.  He was, in fact, sitting on his bed with a serious look on his face, and another Galra loomed over him. It looked like he was being lectured, to be frank, and Lance suddenly felt the bottom of his stomach drop out.

  


Lance knocked gently on the doorframe so that they would know he was there, and the other Galra looked up, then said something to Keith quietly.  He walked passed Lance, holding out his arm to clasp forearms. This was an odd Blade of Marmora greeting that Lance was extremely grateful for. It was close enough to shaking hands that he didn’t have the struggle with the social oddity of it.  Occasionally, on certain planets, he’d have to bump legs, sniff other lifeforms, and one planet even required him to strip before they would even listen to his pleas.

  


That one turned out to be a joke that Pidge set-up, but the point still stands.

  


When the other Galran left and shut the door quietly behind him, Lance made his way over to Keith.  His boyfriend looking extremely frail in a loose t-shirt and tight black pants. It looked like he’d just come from training, a little bit of sweat lining his brow.  His dark hair fell attractively in his face as Lance came up and brushed it out of the way to get a clearer view of Keith’s eyes, dark purple discs avoiding eye contact purposefully.

  


“Keith?”

  


When their eyes met, Keith surged forward and kissed Lance roughly.  Lance sighed into the kiss at first, but then pulled back, keeping Keith from going in for another kiss.

  


“As excited as I am to get this party started, are you alright?”

  


Huffing in annoyance, Keith sat back down on the bed, avoiding eye contact again.  “I just want to kiss my boyfriend. Is that a bad thing?”

  


Biting his lip, Lance got on his knees in front of Keith and parted his legs, coming to kneel so that he was just below Keith’s face.

  


“You know that’s not what I mean,” Lance said softly, and Keith winced, leaning back a little bit.

  


“I… it’s classified information.  I couldn’t talk to you about it even if I wanted to.”

  


Nodding in understanding, Lance stroked gently at Keith’s jawline, whispering, “What can I do?”

  


Chuckling darkly, Keith leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Lance’s forehead, a tender moment that made Lance feel butterflies fluttering all the way to his toes.

  


“Can we just…?  I think I need a distraction.”

  


Lance cocked his head to the side.  “What kind of distraction are we talking?  Are you allowed to leave the base?”

  


The other man’s brow furrowed.  “I’m not on active duty right now, so I have another twelve hours before I have to report in.  What were you thinking?”

  


A few minutes later, Keith was pulling on a pair of ripped jeans and a tight black button-down.  Lance had come dressed up in washed-out jeans and a tank top, with a dark leather jacket over both.

  


Lance smiled as Keith put his hair up and out of his face.  It exposed his long, slender neck, and Lance had the urge to mark it and make it his.

  


“What?” Keith asked while trying to hide a grin.

  


“I just can’t believe you’re mine,” Lance responded, so sincerely that Keith found himself blushing a bit.

  


“Shut up.”

  


They waited until they were off the base to hold hands.  They grabbed a small cruiser that was being borrowed by the Blades by the hosting planet, and Keith hopped in the driver seat with pure happiness written over his features.  Lance jumped into the passenger seat, threading his fingers with Keith’s over the gear shift.

  


“Ready?” Keith grinned wickedly at Lance, and Lance buckled his harness quickly, being only slightly concerned for his own safety.  

  


“Ready.”

  


They zoomed out of the parking deck, flying out into the nighttime of this planet they were on.  The stars were a web of crystalline sparkles from the way the atmosphere scattered the light. It almost looked like a netting keeping them from just flying off into oblivion.

  


Keith was a man on a mission, it seemed.  He was weaving between buildings and hovering far above the ground.  After a few difficult turns, they were out over a foggy waterway, twisting and turning around trees and flying native species.

  


When Keith started to slow down, Lance saw that they were heading towards a small cliff.  His concern quickly abated when Keith stopped about thirty feet back from the edge, putting the cruiser into rest mode and climbing out of it, walking like a possessed man towards the view under the stars.

  


Lance followed him quietly, and when Keith stopped barely a foot from the edge, looking up in complete and utter wonder at the sky, Lance encircled his hips and leaned against him gently, so that Keith could have an unobstructed view.

  


It was breathtaking, truthfully.  The net of stars spread out over the sky like a spiderweb, and their purple moon glowed along the horizon, the storm raging on it twisting and swirling on the surface like a crystal ball.

  


Lance remembered going to the fair while in the Garrison, and asking the woman sitting behind a similar crystal ball about his future.

  


She’d looked up at him with a warm smile.   _ “You believe in fate, then?” _

  


_ “No, I believe in me.  I just want a sneak peek.” _

  


She concentrated on the swirling in the ball, then looked up at him with wide, grey eyes.   _ “You will be a great warrior.  You will do battle to determine the fate of countless lives, and you can win.” _

  


Lance was grinning victoriously at Hunk up until the last part.   _ “Can win?  Why ‘can’ win?  Why isn’t it ‘will’ win?!” _

  


The woman cocked a smile at him.  “ _ That will be another twenty dollars.” _

  


Staring up at the moon now, casting a purple glow over the desert landscape stretching before them, Lance wondered what that woman would see in this moon.  He wondered if she really could see anything at all.

  


The two of them wandered back to the cruiser.  They brought two small chairs and some very delectable dessert that Keith had apparently fallen in love with on this planet.  They set up on the edge, overlooking the vast cosmos, and shared the dessert together. It had the consistency of pudding, but was mixed with a fruity blend of some sort.  Lance liked it, but watching the look on Keith’s face when he took a bite and groaned with a wide smile, Lance decided that it was his new favorite food.

  


They sat out there for a while.  Keith was quiet as Lance explained about the planet that Voltron was touring now, about how tiny the residents were and how carefully they needed to walk to ensure not to step on them.

  


“The tallest one is maybe six inches high, no joke.  They already think we’re ginormous, and when we formed Voltron for them they were in complete shock.  A few of them fainted!” Lance laughed lightly as they finished off the last of the dessert and Keith reached over and threaded his fingers with Lance’s, holding on tightly.

  


“How many of them have you injured with your clumsy feet?” Keith chided, poking Lance lightly in the ribs.

  


“Only… it was just a broken leg, that guy walked underneath me on purpose, I swear…”

  


They both chuckled, and Lance brought Keith’s hand up to his lips to kiss it.

  


“Keith, I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this, but even though we’re standing underneath one of the most stunning views I’ve ever seen, to me you’re the most beautiful thing in this entire universe.”

  


There was a second of silence, before Keith laughed, scooting his chair closer to Lance’s so that they could lock arms from the side and he could lean against Lance’s shoulder.

  


“You’re such a fucking sap.”

  


Lance huffed.  “I’m your fucking sap.”

  


They sat out there for a while, just staring up at the sky, until Keith broke the tranquil silence.

  


“Lance?”

  


“Hmm?”

  


“Do you ever wonder if we were even meant to be together?  There’s so much that could tear us apart at any minute, but somehow we’ve managed to overcome it all.  What if… what if we’re just not meant to be together?”   
  


Lance was stunned into silence.  That was the very same thought he’d had a thousand and one times, but hearing it come from Keith was surprising.  Keith was always the one that would yell about how stupid destiny was, or about how we’re the masters of our own fate.  Lance was supposed to be the insecure one.

  


“I believe that us, sitting here right now, is a gift,” Lance began, hoping that he could convince the boy clutching his arm for dear life, “I will take each and every gift that the universe is willing to give me, especially when it comes to you.  I think that I will fight tooth and nail to stay with you, fate be damned.”

  


Keith pressed a soft kiss to Lance’s shoulder.  “Good.”

  
  


***

  
  


When they walked back into Keith’s room, Lance pulled him over to the bed quickly, sitting Keith on the edge and kneeling between his legs again, mirroring their position from before they left.

  


Lance reached for Keith’s belt, undoing it slowly as Keith shed his own shirt, smiling adoringly down at Lance.

  


“You are breathtaking,” Lance positively purred, pulling down his tight pants and throwing them somewhere behind him, pressing breathy kisses to Keith’s knee, trailing them up his thigh until he got to the sensitive skin just below his underwear line.

  


They quickly shed Keith’s boxers and Keith very aggressively wrestled off Lance’s jacket, then shirt, so that he could run his fingers over Lance’s exposed clavicle.

  


Lance leaned forward and breathed over Keith’s member, starting to stiffen in interest.  The paladin looked up through his lashes at Keith, who was already flush with desire. “May I?”

  


The nod was quick, and Lance’s reaction was quicker, starting to ravage the tip of Keith’s massive dick with his tongue, circling it and swallowing it down just enough to drive Keith crazy but not enough to give him relief.  He was careful of the barbs, because even though they weren’t too sharp, they could still scratch up the roof of his mouth.

  


Lance loved giving Keith head.  Keith was extremely sensitive, so each and every movement or suck or lick trembled through Keith’s body, and his reaction would spill from his mouth without any filters.

  


“Oh, Lance, oh please, gahh…” Keith started muttering incoherently as Lance started working the shaft with his fingers, spreading his spit over Keith’s cock generously.

  


The weight of Keith on his tongue was exactly what he needed; he’d been aching to be full of this man.  Knowing that he had some of Keith, completely and totally, was a headrush, and the sounds coming from his boyfriend were breathy and gasping.

  


Keith was fully hardened in Lance’s mouth now, and his words were starting to become much more frantic.  “Lance please ah right there, oh please don’t stop, your mouth feels so good baby I need you to take more, ah just like that…”

  


It was impossible to fit all of Keith in Lance’s mouth at once.  He knew, because they’d tried. It was an altogether unpleasant experience and they don’t like talking about it.

  


Lance used his hands to try to spread his warm saliva down further on the cock in front of him, to give the feeling over being slicked up without Lance’s gag reflex being triggered.

  


When Lance gently scraped his teeth over Keith’s barbs, though, Keith was coming in hot spurts into Lance’s mouth.  After he licked up every drop, he came up and tackled Keith back onto the bed, grinning with a little bit of come dribbling out of the corner of his mouth.

  


The two of them made out for a while with Lance’s pants still on, Lance finally laying claim to Keith’s pale expanse of neck.  Lance kissed and bit and sucked to his heart’s content. He wanted anyone who came within five feet of his boyfriend to know that he was taken.  He wanted everyone to know that he was  _ his _ .  

  


Somewhere in the mix the pants had been taken off and Lance started reaching behind Keith to circle his entrance.

  


“Oh, Lance,” Keith gasped, closing his eyes and tightening his grip.  “I… I don’t want to be fucked tonight. I have to actually be functional in the morning…”

  


Pulling back, but not moving his fingers from the slick opening, Lance asked, “What can I do for you, then?”

  


“You already took care of me,” Keith grumbled, suddenly pulling Lance’s ass over the side of the bed, his legs falling to the ground and torso still flesh to the mattress.

  


“Keith, what are you…”

  


“I’m going to open you up.  Is that okay?”

  


Heat surged in Lance’s veins as his breath hitched.  “That’s more than okay.”

  


After pulling the lube out of his bedside table, Keith lathered some on his fingers.  The first two slid in with only minor discomfort, Keith scissoring them and curling inside, making Lance’s knees begin to quake.

  


“Keith, baby, I might not be able to stand after… ah!” Keith’s long fingers of his other hand pressed him further into the mattress to stabilize his position.

  


Keith was sliding in and out easily, now, and he added a third finger, then a fourth, and before Lance knew it Keith’s dick was pressing against his hole and he ascended to another plane of existence.

  


The last time they’d had sex, Keith had cradled Lance right with him, going maddeningly slowly and tenderly.  This time, Lance felt his legs start to give as Keith started pounding into Lance unforgivingly. He felt the satisfying ache in his gut of being filled, and he let Keith use him completely.  

  


Keith’s cock was perfect, Lance insisted to anyone who would listen (poor, poor Hunk).  The way the head dragged against his prostate, and the way the barbs stroked his walls sharply made him see stars

  


When Lance started practically screaming, Keith took Lance’s hair into his one hand to arch his back so that he could hit Lance at a new angle.  Then, with the other hand, Keith reached around and stroked generously on Lance’s member, and Lance came with a startled cry, breathing heavily and whimpering as Keith continued to relentlessly pound into him.

  


Lance was so pliant under him, doing whatever Keith told him to.  It set Keith’s blood on fire to see Lance taking him with so much satisfaction, to see Lance bend and twist to Keith’s will.

  


The bedsheets were being crushed in Lance’s hands as Keith came, burying himself in Lance’s tight heat.  Lights danced across his vision, and he heard Lance hum in satisfaction underneath him.

  


They stayed like that a moment, all humid heat and panting satisfaction.  When Keith pulled out, Lance almost collapsed, but Keith gently helped him onto the bed, pressing gentle kisses all over Lance’s back and neck.

  


Keith got up and gently wiped Lance down and changed one of the blankets.  Lance was pliant underneath his touches, still off in his own little post-orgasm world.

  


When Keith came back and cuddled into Lance from behind, tangling their legs together, Keith nipped at Lance’s neck.  “Stay with me?”

  


“When do you need to be out there by?”

  


Keith sighed.  “I’ve got a few hours.”

  


Lance chuckled soundlessly, just a shake of his chest that Keith felt reverberate through him, too.

  


“I can’t sleep well without you anyway,” Lance snuggled in closer, and Keith brought the blankets over them and they both passed into a deep sleep, the first in quite a while.

  
  


***

  
  


Keith woke up before Lance.  He kissed him softly, and Lance muttered sleepily, “five more minutes.”

  


“I’ve got to go,” Keith laughed, moving to stand up.  Lance’s arms gripped him around the middle tightly.

  


“You’re not allowed to go,” Lance growled without malice, “I forbid it.”

  


“You’re not my boss,” Keith grumbled and tried to flounder uselessly, but he was never more acutely aware of how much stronger Lance was than him than that exact moment.  It was a bit of a turn on, but Keith needed to leave, still.

  


Lance moaned uselessly and released Keith, who shot out of the bed to make sure he wouldn’t get trapped again.  He started shrugging his uniform on, but it wasn’t the usual Blade of Marmora suit. Instead it was a formal uniform, black slacks and a loose purple long sleeve with pins embroidering his left pec.  

  


“What does this stand for?” Lance pointed at the pins, and Keith sighed as he was putting on his shoes.  

  


“This one is for valor in the field, this one is for saving a fellow member of the Blade, this one is to signify that I am Galra even though I might not look it, this one is to show that I’m a melee fighter…”

  


Keith ran out of pins eventually, and Lance was just beaming at him.  “Look at you, a decorated officer!”

  


Two purple eyes rolled at that, saying, “It’s a bit of a downgrade from defender of the universe.”

  


Furrowing his brow, Lance got up and took Keith’s hands in his, bending a little so that he could look right into his eyes as he said, “you’re still defending the universe. This is where you’re needed right now.”

  


Keith blew a lock of hair out of his face in annoyance, clearly not buying any of it.

  


After that little spiel, Lance collapsed back on the bed, spent.  “Kiss me goodbye?”

  


Narrowing his eyes, Keith leaned over and ghosted his mouth over Lance’s, his breath hot and tickling at Lance’s skin, before nipping gently on Lance’s bottom lip and backing up, grinning evilly.

  


“That’s not a kiss, asshole!”   
  


“You’re right,” Keith answered seriously, going back in for a gentle touch of lips.  “I can’t give you everything you want right away, can I?”

  


The commanding side of Keith always turned Lance on, but right now it was practically unbearable because he couldn’t do anything about it.  

  


“Bye, Lance,” Keith said breathlessly, and Lance had that moment, again, where he wanted to take Keith and run.  Keith was only going to peace talks right now, but he earned those medals for a reason, and that was because he tended to be in the heat of battle and the middle of the action.  Sooner or later, Keith would be in danger again, and Lance couldn’t do anything to protect him.

  


Lance swallowed the panic and smiled as convincingly as possible as Keith walked out the door.

  


A few moments passed, before Lance grabbed at his necklace, still beating regularly, and let out a broken sob.

  


He’d see him again, right?

  


Right?

  
  


***

  
  


Keith was wandering down the hallway towards the peace talks, but was suddenly accosted by Grath, the Galra that was talking to him in his room the night before.

  


“Do you have a moment?  They’re running late anyway.”

  


Tensing up, Keith nodded, following Grath into a small parlor room.  

  


“What?” Keith snapped, already afraid of what was going to come out of the other man’s mouth.

  


“I did a little more digging for you, like you asked,” Grath adjusted the notebook that he was opening up, flipping through a few pages.  “There have only been four other recorded human and Galra hybrids. You, and a few people much, much older than you.”

  


Keith nodded, fidgeting his nerves out by fiddling with his necklace, beating steadily.

  


“The other three were two women and a man.  The women lived significantly longer, for almost two hundred human years and two hundred and twenty human years, respectively.  The man lived until he was around one hundred and ten human years. This leads me to believe that some of the genetic material that make us live so long are mixed in as a sexually influenced trait.”

  


“Go on,” Keith felt himself start to lose his cool, waiting.

  


“The women were normally functioning human females in terms of sexual presentation.  One was a lifelong single, and the other had three kids normally. The other Galra male presented like you, with both sets of organs.  Him and his partner, who was a human female, were able to conceive only once. Apparently the pregnancy would usually abort itself.”

  


Oh, okay, wow.  “So… then…”

  


“It’s very unlikely that you’ll ever get pregnant, let alone carry a child to term.”

  


The news hit Keith like a direct blow to his gut.  “Oh… good, then,” he stuttered out, feeling himself start to get tunnel vision.

  


“Keith, are you alright?”

  


Grath put his notebook down and walked over to Keith.  “I’m going to look into this more. As a genetic analyst I’ve been working with hybrids for years.  Our best indicator was the male hybrid, but even that wasn’t a good indicator because his partner carried the child.  It might have been something about her, not him…”

  


“No, that’s good.  It’s good. Then we don’t have to worry anymore,” Keith was breathing shallowly.  Why was this upsetting him? Why was this getting to him the way it was? This was supposed to be good news, right?

  


Except…

  


“We still have some tests to run.  Everyone handles the news of possible infertility differently.  If you need to take a break today, we can handle the peace talks without you…”

  


“No,” Keith shook his head, “You need someone that isn’t 100% Galra in the room.  That was the whole point, for there to be someone less threatening. I can do it.”

  


He could definitely pull it off.  Keith had been through much harder shit than this, right?  Being orphaned? Living on his own in a shack? Losing Shiro?  Almost dying at one of the last major battles?

  


He could handle this.

  


The two of them walked into the conference room a moment later, ready to negotiate.

  


Keith didn’t even flinch.

  
  


***

  
  


Lance knew that he had to get back to the castle, but when he was laying down in Keith’s bed everything smelled like him.  The scent was comforting in a way that nothing else was. It soothed over something that was unsettled in his chest.

  


He wrapped himself up more securely in Keith’s sheets, the warmth trapping him in safety.

  


Then, when he finally convinced himself to get up, he resisted the urge to search Keith’s room and figure out what he had been upset about earlier.  He knew that if it was important, Keith would talk to him about it. Sighing, he got his things together and made the bed, before leaving a note on the smoothed over covers.

  


_ Keith, _

  


_ I love you to the stars and back.   _

  


_ In all your travels and adventures don’t forget, at the end of it all, to find your way back to me. _

  


_ No castle or space cat or ocean feels more like a home than you. _

  


_ All my love, _

_ Lance _

  


Suddenly, his necklace started to flutter in fast paced beats not unlike butterfly wings, and Lance felt his stomach drop out.  What had happened? Wasn’t he going to a conference? Why would he be upset? Is he in danger?

  


Lance waited for Keith to come back, or to contact him to tell him what had happened, but nothing came to reassure him.

  


When he got to Red, he felt the sorrow echo through the lion, and Lance felt himself gasp out “What happened?!”

  


Red just grumbled, communicating that there wasn’t anything Lance could do.

  


Then the heartbeats evened out.  As Lance flew away, the gentle and consistent heart rhythm kept him going, knowing that no matter what was happening, Keith was at least still there.

  


As he flew up into the daytime sky of this planet, which was hazy and mostly a drab orange, Lance wondered when the day would come when they would be leaving wherever they were together instead of all alone.

  
  


***

  
  


Keith was busy shaking hands and smiling and toasting to the fact that they managed to hammer out the first official alliance within the solar system they were currently orbiting in.  The locals were cheering and smiling and flooding the streets with booze and confetti and fireworks bloomed in the sky, sparkling less precisely in the foggy atmosphere but making it a different kind of beautiful.

  


He sipped champagne without guilt.  He’d been avoiding alcohol the last few weeks in case… well, in case when the condom broke that he was…

  


The bubbly pink drink was gulped down quickly, and Keith was searching for another one when his communicator beeped.

  


_ Lance: I don’t know what was going on earlier but are you okay? I was worried. _

  


Of course.  Keith’s heartbeat must have been through the roof.  

  


_ Keith: I’m fine, now.  All of the planets agreed to the alliance, so we’re celebrating. _

  


The statement felt flat, like the words were flimsy enough that if you touch them they’d crumple in on themselves.

  


_ Lance: That’s awesome!  I’m really proud of you. _

  


Keith sniffed, clutching the next glass of champagne in his hand.

  


Four or ten drinks later and Keith’s breath was starting to catch.  He excused himself from the main palace where the celebration was happening to a small study off to the side.  It was dimly lit and smelled like someone had been smoking a cigar in there recently.

  


Keith took out his communicator, and found himself dialing…

  


“Keith?  What’s wrong?” Shiro’s voice sounded extremely concerned.

  


Sniffling, Keith felt himself hollow out as he whispered, “I’m… I need someone, right now.”

  


Sighing, Shiro sounded like he was shuffling out of a room.  “Lance just came back and he’s worried sick about you. Do you need me to come to you?  It’s only about an hour ride…”

  


Hiccuping, he fell backwards onto the couch, staring out the window at the fireworks still going off in quick succession.  “Yes.”

  
  


***

  
  


He must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knows he’s being chided awake by a very concerned Shiro.

  


His hair was cut shorter than the last time Keith saw him.  He straightened up and adjusted his uniform, trying to remember through his swimming mind where he was and why he was there…

  


Right.  He got drunk and called Shiro.

  


His best friend was eyeing him appraisingly, trying to figure out what was going on.

  


“I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me,” Shiro said softly, “Also, we should probably move you up to your room, because if you get upset there’s no way that I’m going to be able to convince you to walk in front of all those people.”

  


Nodding, Keith admitted that Shiro had a point.  He knew him well, it seemed.

  


They walked quietly through the palace and out the back towards the visiting ambassador cottages, where Keith took off his shoes and collapsed onto bed, hugging his pillow to himself.

  


“Ready yet?”

  


Blinking a few times as tears started to gather in his eyes, Keith whispered, “No.”

  


“Do you want me to stay with you?”

  


Nodding, Keith felt the sobs come, now. Shiro climbed into bed with him and held him softly, letting him cry it out as Keith hit Shiro’s chest and screamed about it being unfair and about how he was so disgusting for wanting what he wanted and after he’d screamed himself hoarse Shiro finally got him to calm down and shushed him.

  


“I don’t know why you’re upset, or why you think that you’re disgusting or unlucky, but I’m right here.  No matter what I’m not going anywhere.”

  


Letting out a little whimper, Keith gathered a handful of Shiro’s shirt and clung to him for dear life, tears soaking into the fabric.

  


Eventually Shiro got Keith to go to bed, and tucked him in gently.  The younger boy looked so tranquil in his sleep, long dark eyelashes fanning out over the bruised skin under his eyes.  Shiro extricated himself from the tangle of limbs and stepped out into the hall.

  


Lance answered on the first ring.

  


“Is he okay?  What’s happening?” his voice was frantic, a pitch or two higher than normal.

  


Pressing his fingers against the bridge of his nose, Shiro said, “He was extremely drunk and upset when I found him.  I managed to get him to go to his place and sleep it off, but he won’t tell me what’s happening.”

  


There was a silence on the other end for a short bit, until Lance finally said, “Hey, Shiro?”

  


“What?”

  


“Can you find someone for me?”

  
  


***

  
  


It wasn’t that hard to track down Grath, who was having a conversation with some of the locals over dessert. 

  


Shiro approached cautiously, smiling politely at the rest of the group.  “Could I borrow you for a minute?”

  


Grath narrowed his eyes.  “I didn’t realize that the whole team of Voltron had come out here to supervise these peace talks.”

  


Ignoring that, Shiro nodded away from the group, and Grath sighed, the grey tips of his fuzzy purple ears twitching irritably.  When Grath and Shiro had finally gotten to a far enough little hallway that it was appropriate, Shiro pressed his hand against Grath’s shoulder, pinning him to the wall.

  


“I don’t know what you did or said to Keith today, but whatever it is I’ll make you eat those words.”

  


The man blinked with wide eyes, completely taken off guard, before looking little more than exhausted.  “I spent my last few days trying to dig up information for him, so whatever I told him was information that he asked to be told.”

  


Blinking, Shiro asked, “...what?”

  


“I do not feel comfortable sharing information on matters as delicate as this.  Keith is a fellow member of the Blade, and I would never betray his trust by disclosing personal information.  Now if you’ll excuse me,” Grath pushed back on Shiro a bit, flexing his strength and managing to get away from him, “I have a party to attend.”

  


The Galran man walked away with a proud stride, and Shiro waited until he turned the corner to put his earpiece in.  “Did you get it?”

  


Pidge on the other end said cheekily, “Oh no, I missed it.  Rough him up again.”

  


“Pidge,” Shiro groaned out, and she started laughing.

  


“Of course I got it. His personal files are being downloaded to a file in the castle underneath an obscure name.  I’ll send the link to you, then never look at it.”

  


Shiro smiled.  “Don’t tell Lance yet, okay?”

  


“Aye aye, captain.”

  


Shiro ended the call and waited for the link, which Pidge sent over in seconds as promised.

  


He flipped through the pages and pages of notes and annotations on old texts and documents dating back hundreds of years and after going through them for a solid two hours before it finally started to dawn on him what he was reading.

  


“Oh, Keith,” Shiro whispered, helplessness start to pool in his gut.

  


He deleted the data and told Pidge to do the same.

  
  


***

  
  


When he arrived back at Keith’s room, Keith was curled up on himself, his legs tucked up into his stomach and arms in a tangle under the pillows.

  


Shiro found room on the floor and set himself up a spot to sleep, brushing Keith’s hair back from his face.  He looked so young right now. Far too young to be worried about the things he was worried about. However, Shiro understood.  Not knowing could be terrifying in all the worst ways.

  


He laid down and waited to fall asleep, too.

  
  


***

  
  


The next morning, Keith awoke with a start, his nightmare being that someone was chasing him relentlessly and he couldn’t seem to ever run fast enough.  Every time they got close, though, the pursuer would be halted by something, and the eternal chase continued.

  


When he looked down, he grunted in surprise, seeing none other than Shiro asleep on his floor, drool pooling from his mouth onto Keith’s spare pillow.

  


What had happened?  Oh, right, he drank himself silly and then called Shiro to come support him.  Keith gave himself a small pat on the back for not throwing up at all despite how shitfaced he was.

  


As he yawned, Shiro’s extranormal senses alerted him to Keith’s awakening, and he started to roll over and open his eyes, looking up blearily into the morning light.

  


“You’re up,” Shiro quickly said, looking up at Keith and starting to stretch.  Keith knew that look that was on Shiro’s face, though. It was the ‘serious conversation’ face.

  


After Shiro yawned for a few moments, he sat down on Keith’s bed next to him, gazing at him sadly.

  


“When did you find out?”

  


Keith flinched and turned over to face away from Shiro.  Of course he figured it out. He wasn’t exactly sure what magic Shiro even pulled, but he had uncovered the information easily.

  


“Yesterday before the peace talks but after Lance left.”

  


Nodding in understanding, Shiro gently touched Keith’s shoulder, but Keith just pulled away without hesitation.

  


“Why didn’t you call Lance?  Why me?”

  


Sighing, Keith closed his eyes.  “If I tell Lance, it affects him too.  He’d have to deal with his own feelings about not being able to have kids and also my emotions.  He… he wouldn’t be able to be impartial.”

  


“You talked about it?” Shiro asked with a tiny, sad smile.

  


Groaning, Keith turned over and looked at Shiro with narrowed eyes.  “It’s… when we found out about me, we both got a little… excited. That maybe after this war is over we could settle down and have kids of our own.  We never expected that to be an option as a same sex couple when we first got together, but… then it was. Dangling in front of us.”

  


Shiro bit his lip.  “Are you going to tell Lance?”

  


“Eventually,” Keith muttered, throwing his left arm over his face.  “Who let me drink so much last night? I feel terrible.”

  


Cocking his head to the side fondly, Shiro patted his knee lightly.  “That’s on you, buddy.”

  


Keith’s nose wrinkled.  “I think I’m going to be okay.”

  


“You know where to find me, though,” Shiro said warmly, getting up and moving towards the door.  “Oh, and Keith?”

  


The other man sat up with an angry snort.  “What?”

  


“He loves you.  He’ll understand.”

  


Nodding, Keith fell back into bed, staring at his ceiling pointedly.

  


Lance’s heartbeat was steady against his own, and for a moment, he let himself imagine it one last time.  A small house with a huge backyard, having barbecues on Saturdays and tucking his own kids in for the night, brushing their hair back from their faces.

  


Then he breathed out and let it go like petals in the wind.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> So there we have it, folks.
> 
> This will be dealt with more in detail at a later time. For now, though, this is what we get. I thought it was really important that Keith reach out to other members of his support system to help him deal with the news, because oftentimes when couples are given the news emotions get confused and can turn volatile very quickly. 
> 
> If this has been a difficult time for you, don't forget to reach out to your own support system. They're there for a reason<3
> 
> Stay tuned for more! If you like this, check out my other fics, including one other Voltron series starring Shidge and a whole slew of Yuri! on Ice


End file.
